Card index



Dec. 25 1923,

R. c. Russi-:LL

CARD INDEX Filed Nov. 14,

attozmmks Patented Dec. 25, i923.

rreD stars rar ROBERT C. RUSSELL, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVAINLeL CARD INDEX.

Application led November 1.4, 1922. Serial No. 690,927.

as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thek same. j

This invention relates to improvements in card indexes of the visible type, in which the cards are mounted in a holder or slide and overlie each other. l

The objects of my present invention are to so construct the cards and means whereby they are mounted in the holder'or slide that said cards will lie flatly when in normal position or when reversed; to permit easy manipulation of the cards; to enable the cards to be readily moved either singly or collectively in the holder or slide;` to so hinge the cards to their supports that the latter shall have an interlocking relation, preventing removal of more than one card at a time from the holder but permitting the support of one card to be unlocked from the support of the adjacent card and then 'readily removed with its card from the holder, and to so construct the support for each card that a cardwith its support may be easily and quickly inserted in proper place in the` holder or removed from the latter.

lVith these and other objects in View, the invention consists incertain novel features of construction and combinations of parts as hereinafter set forth and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings* Figure l is a face view of a card index embodying my improvements;

Figure laL is a longitudinal sectional view of the same.

Figure 2 is a front perspective view of one of the cards and its support;

Figure 3 is a rear perspective view of one of the cards and its support; j

Figure 4 is an enlarged view in perspective and partly in section showing a card and support and the slot in the hinging material for the passage of a tongue on the support of another card of the series;

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view on the line 5`5 of Figure l illustratingf vthe assembly of a plurality of card supports and attached cards` and Y Figure 6 isa sectional View of a fication.

The holder l for the cards vmay be made of metal having inwardly turned side flanges 2. forming guide-ways for parts pro` jccting from the card supports as more modirfully hereinafter explained. (lne end of the metal sheet forming said holder is bent to ovcrlie the lower portion of the holder and provides a platform 3 upon which the bottom card of the series may resi and permit this card and the overlying cards to be disposed flatly. 'The lower portions of the side flanges 2 of the holder may be bent downwardly close against the platform 3 as at 4 and thus close the lower ends of the guideways formed by the major portions of said flanges and the upper end of the platform 3 may constitute an abutment for the. support of the bottom card.

In the drawing (Figure l) I have shown a plurality of cards 5 in the holder l and to the upper edge portion of each card 5. a strip of fabric 6 is cemented or otherwise secured. lThis fabric strip 6 is also cemented or otherwise secured to a card support 7 (preferably of card-board) in such manner as to provide a hinge for the'card to said support. The fabric strip isse cured to approximately one-half of the front face of the card` support 7 so that the hinge-connectionof the card to the support will be located approximately along the. longitudinal center of the latter. and the fabric strip may be made to cover the entire back of the card support 7 if desired, or only suflicient fabric for attachment of the card and support to form a hinge, but when the fabric covers the entire back of the support and both sides of the tongues 8. it will serve to reinforce these parts. Each card support is made of a length somewhat greater than the horizontal width of a card so that laterally projecting tongues 8 will be provided to enter the guideways formed by the side flanges 2 of the slide or holder 1 and said tongues may be covered on both faces by the fabric 6. lEach card support 7 is provided centrally between its ends with an upwardly projecting tongue 9. and the fabric strip 6 whereby the card 5 is hinged to its support 7 is provided centrally with a slot 10 to receive the tongue 9 of the support 7 of an adjacent card.

From vthe construction and arrangement of parts above described', it will he seen that the cards may be easily moved in the holder, being guided by the laterally projecting tongues and that when the cards are assembled, there will be an interlocking relation effected between the card supports so that the cards cannot be withdrawn or removed collectively fi'om the holder and hence the cards are in effect normally locked in the holder. By moving a card an adjacent card, it can be moved from the holder in a direction forwardly at right angles to the latter and as this is done the lateral tongues 8 will move out of the guide-ways because the support 7 is sufficiently flexible to permit such bending as will cause the disengagement of the lateral tongues 8 fromV the guide-ways. Should it be desired to remove an intermediate card or to insert a card in an intermediate position among the series of cards,y the user may gras the several cards above such `intermediate position or even'the lowermost cards above such intermediate position and yslide all of the upper cards collectively while in y interlockcd. relation with each other, in an` upward direction. To move such upper cards downwardly, the. user may grasp the upper card only and pull it downwardly, causing the downward movement of all of the group of cards which had previously been moved upwardly. l

The flexible hinges afforded by the fabric strips 6 between-the cards and their supports will permit' the cards to lie flatly one upon another when in normal positions and also to lie flatly when in reversed or raised posi tions. n f

In the modified construction shown in Figure 6, the fabric hinge material 'is omitted, and the card 5i* is provided with an integral flange 11 adapted to fold so as to be capable of overlying the upper portion of the cai-d and rovide a hinge member to which the car support 71L is secured by cementing or in any other desired manner.l With this construction the slot (10a) for the passage of an adjacent card may be made in the upper edge portion of the cardv in lclose proximity to the hinge connection of the flange 11 therewith.

My improvements 8 in the guide-ways of the holder,v

and its holder away from jecting are simple in construc- 4 tion, permit the ready manipulation of the cards and allow the removal or insertion of cards singly.

Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A card index comprising a plurality of cards, and supports having hinge connection with said cards and provided with upwardly projecting tongues, the structure having slots adjacent to the hinge connection between the cards and supports forgthe passage of tongues of adjacent card ports.

2. In a card index, card support having hinge connection with each other and having a slot adjacent to the hinge connection of the card to the support, said card support having laterally projecting tongues ,and also having a tongue projecting from its upper edg'e.

j 3. In a card index, a combined card and card support having hinge connection with `each otherand havingy a slot adjacent to the hinge connection of the card to the support, said card support having llaterally projecting tongues andalso having a tongue profrom its upper edge, saidcard support' being made of lmaterial capablel of being flexed to cause the lateral tongues to move in directions toward each other.

4. A card index comprising a holder having parallel guide-ways, a plurality of cards,

a support for each card spaced from the upper edge of the latter, a. fabric strip connecting each support with its card and providing a hinge for the latter, each fabric strip having a slot between the support and card and each support having a tongue to enter the slot of the strip connecting an adjarent card and support, and lateral tongues projecting from each support and entering the guide-ways of the holder.-

5. In a card index, a card, ya flexible support therefor having an intermediate tongue and provided with laterally projecting tongues, and a fabric connecting said support and card and affording a hinge for the latter, said fabric strip having a slot located between the card and its support.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

- BERT G. RUSSELL.

Witnesses:

ROBERT ALEXANDER DoDDs, BELLE WILHELM.

a combined card and l 

